A class of antibiotic drugs known as fluoroquinolones (or quinolones) are known to be some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics inthe United States.

However, quinolone antibiotics have been linked with incidences of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), painful and sometimes deadly skin conditions that arise from a patient’s allergic reaction to a quinolone drug like Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, or others.

These quinolone SJS reactions and the subsequent pain, suffering, and even death, some patients have experienced have lead some individuals to file quinolone Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuits.

What are Quinolones?

Quinolone (or fluoroquinolone) antibiotics are extremely potent prescription medications usually used to treat or even prevent bacterial infections. For example, quinolone drugs are prescribed by doctors to treat urinary tract infections, sinus infections, ear infections, conjunctivitis, and other bacterial diseases.

Common and popular antibiotics on the pharmaceutical market include:

• Ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan Ophthalmic, Cipro)
• Levofloxacin (Levaquin, QUIXIN Ophthalmic)
• Lomefloxacin (Maxaquin)
• Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• Norfloxacin (Chibroxin Ophthalmic, Noroxin Oral)
• Ofloxacin (Floxin, Ocuflox Ophthalmic)
• Sparfloxacin (Zagam)
• Trovafloxacin (Trovan)

While quinolone antibiotics may provide a speedy recovery to patients suffering from bacterial infections, they have also caused some users to experience severe quinolone side effects. Between 1997 and 2010, the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (AERS) received over 2,500 reports of quinolone deaths.

An additional 45,000 reports concerning negative quinolone side effects were also filed to AERS, some of which pointed to quinolone SJS cases.

Background on Fluoroquinolone Stevens Johnson Syndrome

SJS and TEN are rare skin diseases. However, for those individuals that do contract these skin reactions after taking a quinolone drug, they are subject to both long term and short term SJS side effects; some may even die from the trauma they sustain from these intense skin conditions.

When a patient experiences SJS and/or TEN, their skin and mucous membrane quite literally burns from the inside out. Some SJS symptoms include:

• Painful blistering on skin and mucous membrane
• Flu like symptoms and high fever
• The sloughing off of skin
• Ocular reactions including severe conjunctivis, iritis, palpebral edema, conjunctival and corneal blisters and erosions, and corneal perforation

A patient may take weeks to months to recover from SJS or TEN, largely depending on the severity of the allergic reaction and how early the SJS reaction is caught and the drug that caused SJS discontinued. Most SJS victims need hospitalization and round the clock care to deal with their SJS side effects.

While a quinolone SJS reaction is rare, it can be permanently debilitating for those patients who contract Stevens Johnson Syndrome and can result in thousands of dollars in medical bills for the patient or the patient’s family. As a result, many SJS victims and their families have chosen to file SJS lawsuits against quinolone drug manufacturers for not informing consumers of the link between quinolone drugs and SJS or TEN.